Vessel with measuring capability

ABSTRACT

A measuring vessel has cavity-defining wall structures and at least one ramp which rises from about the bottom of the wall structure toward the top of the wall structure. The at least one ramp has an upwardly directed surface with a lateral inner edge integral with portions of the wall structure below the ramp and a lateral outer edge integral with portions of the wall structure below the ramp. Indicia on the upwardly directed surface of the at least one ramp allows a user to look downwardly into the measuring vessel to visually detect the volume level of the contents in the vessel, thereby eliminating the need to look horizontally at the vessel at eye level. Preferably the vessel has two ramps, with at least one bearing indicia of standard English units, and another bearing indicia of metric units. In one embodiment a handle, covered with a cushioning grip sheath, is cantilevered from the top of the wall structure and has a distal end at the level of the bottom of the wall structure for cooperation therewith to support the vessel on an underlying support surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/313,686,filed May 18, 1999, entitled “Measuring Cup,” now U.S. Pat. No.6,263,732.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to vessels for containing measurable contents.More specifically, this invention relates to a vessel having graduatedindicia.

Vessels such as cups, bowls, spoons and the like which have a measuringcapability are known. Such devices can be made from a variety ofmaterials, including plastic, metal and glass. One of the most commonmeasuring vessels found on the market today is a transparent measuringcup made of Pyrex® which is resistant to sudden changes in temperatureto which it may be subjected during use.

The utility derived from a measuring vessel is related to the ease withwhich volumetric indicia on the measuring vessel's wall may be read by auser. Of course, any suitable units of measurement may be used toindicate the level to which contents have risen within a measuringvessel.

Traditional measuring vessels have indicia marked upon the measuringvessel wall in a manner which sometimes makes the indicia difficult toread, depending upon how precise a measurement is needed, the materialsfrom which the measuring vessel is manufactured and the physicalcondition of the user, for example. In the case of a measuring cup whichis made from transparent or translucent material, e.g., Pyrex®, the mostprecise way to measure the contents contained therein is to place themeasuring cup upon a level surface, pour the contents to be measuredinto the measuring cup and then stoop down to the vertical level of themeasuring cup to attempt to visually detect the bottom of a liquidmeniscus or a level surface of solid contents. An alternative method ofreading the level to which contents in a transparent or translucentmeasuring cup have risen is to lift the measuring cup to eye level andattempt to hold the measuring cup steady while visually detecting thevolume. In either use, the observer is looking in a generally horizontaldirection to detect the volume.

Prior art measuring cups that are opaque are more difficult to read thantransparent or translucent measuring cups. In order to read the volumeof contents held within an opaque measuring cup, a user must peer overthe upper margin of the measuring cup to view, as closely as possible,the level to which contents have risen, either by stooping to themeasuring cup's level or by lifting the measuring cup to eye level.

While the above-described methods for determining the volume of contentsin a measuring cup may seem simple enough for most users, these methodscan prove to be difficult for others. Users with bad knees, a bad back,or arthritis, for example, may not only have substantial difficulty instooping over to accurately read the volume of contents in a measuringcup placed on a level surface, but may also have just as much difficultyin lifting a measuring cup to eye level and holding the cup steady toread the volume of contents held therein. When precise measurement ofthe volume of contents within a measuring cup is critical to a task, thesimple actions of bending over or lifting a measuring cup to eye level,which seem easy to some users, may become difficult and uncomfortablefor others.

Measuring the volume of cooking ingredients using prior art measuringcup can also be frustrating. As mentioned above, it an be difficult fora user to stoop over to read the level of contents when placed on alevel surface or when lifted to eye level. An unsteady hand not onlymakes the volume of contents difficult to determine when a measuring cupis lifted to eye level, but a user may spill contents or even drop themeasuring cup when attempting to do so.

Measuring vessels are not limited in their utility to the kitchen, ofcourse. They may also be used for measuring proper ratios of solutions,e.g., antifreeze, the precise measurement of which is critical to itsapplication and simplicity of determining a precise volume is necessary.Other common household solutions can be dangerous, e.g., toxic orcaustic, and when a measuring vessel is filled with these solution thepossibility of spilling them within the proximity of a child or a petgreatly increases when a measuring vessel must be raised to eye level todetermine the volume of its contents.

It is an object of the present invention to simplify the way in which aperson can accurately determine the volume of material held in a vessel.

It is another object of the invention to improve a measuring vessel tomake it mote conducive to a simple and accurate volume determination.

SUMMARY

The present invention achieves the above-stated objectives by includingwith a vessel at least one sloped ramp having an upwardly directedsurface having indicia which are readily observable by an observerlooking downwardly toward the open end of the vessel.

The structure simplifies volume determination because there is no needfor the observer to move relative to the vessel in order to look in ahorizontal direction at the vessel indicia. Thus, the possibility ofspilling is reduced. Also, since the ramp preferably rises continuouslyand gradually from the bottom of the vessel, a user who is filling thevessel from above can actually see the volume indicia on the upwardlydirected surface of the ramp while the vessel is being filled, lookingalong the same line of sight generally used during filling. Theseadvantages result from the ability to visually determine the volume ofthe contents of the vessel by simply looking into the open upper end,and the gradual slope of the ramp.

According to a first preferred embodiment of the invention, a cup haswall structure including a bottom wall and an encircling vertical sidewall, so that the cup is cylindrical in shape with an open upper end.Inside the cup, at least one ramp slopes continuously upward from thebottom wall toward the open upper end. The ramp includes an upwardlydirected surface bearing printed volume indicia viewable through theopen upper end to visually determine the volume of cup contents.Preferably the cup has two ramps formed integrally along the side wall,with one bearing standard English units of measurement and the otherbearing metric units. The two ramps have oppositely located bottom endsand oppositely located top ends. The cup also has a handle and a spout,with the handle located adjacent one ramp and the spout located adjacentanother.

In a second embodiment, the side wall is sloped somewhat, rather thanvertical. The cup includes two integral, oppositely located ramps withadjacently located bottom ends and adjacently located top ends. The topends feed toward the spout, and again, one ramp bears indicia instandard English units and the other bears metric indicia.

In another embodiment, the handle is cantilevered from the side wall andhas a vertical grip portion terminating at a distal end in the plane ofthe bottom wall to provide additional self-support, and covered with anelastomeric grip sheath.

With any embodiment, the cup can be formed of any suitable material andvia any suitable process, although transparent and moldable material ispreferred and manufactured using a molding process is also preferred.

Certain ones of these and other features may be attained by providing avessel comprising: a wall structure defining a cavity with an open upperend for receiving contents having a measurable volume, a continuous rampextending upwardly from adjacent to a lower end of the wall structure,and indicia positioned on the ramp so as to be observable by a userlooking downwardly toward the open upper end and providing a readilyobservable indication of the volume of the contents of the vessel.

These and other features will be more readily understood in view of thefollowing detailed description and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a measuring cup according to a firstpreferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the measuring cup of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the measuring cup of FIG. 2 takenalong lines 3—3;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the presentinventive measuring cup;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the measuring cup of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the measuring cup of FIG. 4 illustrating thenesting feature thereof;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of another embodiment of measuring cup; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the measuring cup of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-3 show a first preferred embodiment of the present inventivevessel in the form of a measuring cup 10. Generally, the measuring cup10 is integrally formed of a suitable material and has a handle 12 and aspout 14 integrally attached to a substantially vertical side wall 16.The measuring cup 10 has a base or bottom wall 18 integrally attachedaround its perimeter to the bottom edge of the side wall 16. The sidewall 16 cooperates with the bottom wall 18 to form wall structure whichdefines a cavity which has an open upper end.

The wall 16 has an inside surface 20 and an outside surface 22 fromwhich ramps 24a, 24b are formed in relief. The measuring cup is ofunitary, one-piece construction, molded from any suitable food gradeplastic known in the art. However, it will be understood that themeasuring cup 10 may be manufactured by any suitable process. It willalso be understood that the measuring cup 10 may be made of any othersuitable material known in the art, e.g., Pyrex® or metal.

The ramps 24a, 24b are located on opposite sides of the cup 10 but areidentical in construction. Therefore, only one such ramp is described.Each ramp has a ramp base, or bottom end 25, and a ramp top or upper end26. The ramp base 25 is located proximate the bottom edge of the sidewall 16, and the ramp top 26 is located proximate the top edge of theside wail 16. The ramps 24a, 24b have respective upper ramp surfaces30a, 30b, which are generally upwardly directed and have a substantiallyconstant slope between the ramp base 25 and the ramp top 26. In thefirst preferred embodiment, the ramps 24a, 24b are oppositely disposedon the inside surface 20 of the wall 16. Also, in the first preferredembodiment, the ramps 24a, 24b traverse substantially the same distancefrom the bottom margin of the wall 16 to the top margin of the wall 16along the inside surface 20. It will be understood by those skilled inthe art that the ramps 24a, 24b may have a greater or lesser slope,which in turn would result in shorter or longer distances, respectively,traveled from the bottom margin to the top margin of the wall 16.

The ramps 24a, 24b have a slope great enough so that the ramps 24a, 24bdo not extend more than half the circumference of the wall 16, as seenin FIG. 2. Also, the ramps 24a, 24b do not overlap each other. That is,the ramp 24a does not rise over the ramp 246 on the inside surface 20 ofthe wall 16. In the first preferred embodiment of the measuring cup 10,the side wall 16 is substantially normal to the base 18, so that the cup10 is generally cylindrical in shape. In the illustrated embodiment theside wall 16 is slightly oval in transverse cross section but it couldbe circular or have other shapes. It will be understood by those skilledin the art that the wall 16 may angle away from the perimeter of thebase 18 so that the measuring cup 10 may receive a second measuring cup(not shown) therein, i.e., allow plural measuring cups 10 to stackinside each other.

Each of the ramps 24a, 24b is provided with volume indicia 27a, 27a, onthe upwardly directed surface 30a, 30b, so a user may easily look downtoward the measuring cup 10 from above and view the volume level of thecontents 28 within the cup 10. In the first preferred embodiment, theramp 24a is provided with metric indicia 27a on ramp surface 30a, andramp 24b is provided with standard English indicia 27a on ramp surface30b. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the indicia27a, 27a may be spaced differently relative to each unit of measurementon respective ramps 24, 24b, depending on the desired slope of the ramps24a, 24b.

The side wall 16 has portions below the ramps 24a, 24b integral with thelateral inner edges of the ramp surfaces 30a, 30b, and portions abovethe ramps integral with the lateral outer edges of the ramp surfaces30a, 30b.

FIGS. 4-6 show a second preferred embodiment of an inventive measuringcup 100. The measuring cup 100 has wall structure including a side wall116 integral with a bottom wall or base 118 for cooperation therewith todefine a cavity with an open upper end 132 having a width A larger thanthe width B of the bottom wall or base 118. Thus, the side wall 116slopes outwardly away from the base 118 as the side wall 116 rises fromits bottom edge to its top edge so that at least a second measuring cup100′ (FIG. 6) can be stacked within the measuring cup 100. The cup 100has a handle 112 projecting from the side wall 116 adjacent to its upperend, and a spout 114 projecting from the upper end of the side wall 116opposite the handle 112, the spout 114 having a lower entry end and anupper exit end at the open upper end 132. The measuring cup 100 has apair of oppositely located, but identically sloped ramps 124 which aresubstantially continuous around the side wall inside surface 120 fromthe ramp bottom 125 toward the ramp top 126. That is, both ramps 124rise symmetrically along the inside surface 120 of the side wall 116from about the bottom edge of the side wall inside surface 120 generallyopposite the spout 114 to near the top edge of the side wall 116adjacent to the base of the spout 114.

Because the open upper end 132 has a greater width A than the width B ofthe base 118, upper surfaces 130 of the ramps 124 bear indicia 127a,127a which are not spaced in equal intervals. That is, a given rise inlevel 128 of the contents near the bottom edge of the side wall 116requires a smaller volume than an equal rise in the level of thecontents near the upper edge of the side wall 116. As a result, theindicia 127a, 127a are spaced upon the ramps 124 closer together nearthe top edge of the side wall 116 than at the bottom edge for anequivalent volume of contents 128. It will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the progressive change in the diameter of themeasuring cup 100 from the base 118 to the upper edge of the side wall116 may also be accommodated by decreasing the slope of the ramps 124from the lower edge of the side wall 116 to the upper edge of the sidewall 116 while maintaining the spacing between indicia 127a, 127a alongthe ramps 124.

Also in this embodiment, the ramp tops 126 are continuous with an innersurface of the spout 114 to allow a user to more easily pour contentsfrom the measuring cup 100 without spilling.

The side wall 116 has a lower portion 116a below the ramps 124 which isoffset inwardly by the width of the ramp upper surfaces 130 from anupper portion 116b of the side wall 116. This offset allows othermeasuring cups 100′ to nest within the measuring cup 100 and each otherwhen stacked. More specifically, the lower portion 116a of the side wall116, which is below the ramps 124, is integral with the lateral inneredges of the ramps, while the upper portion 116b, which is above theramps, is integral with the lateral outer edges of the ramps.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show another embodiment of an inventive measuring cup 200.The measuring cup 200 has wall structure including a side wall 216integral with a bottom wall or base 218 for cooperation therewith todefine a cavity with an open upper end 232 having a width larger thanthe width of the bottom wall or base 218. Thus, the side wall 216 slopesoutwardly away from the base 218 as the side wall 216 rises from itsbottom edge to its top edge. The cup 200 has a handle 212 projectingfrom the side wall 216 adjacent to its upper end, and a spout 214projecting from the upper end of the side wall 216 opposite the handle212, the spout 214 having a lower entry end and an upper exit end at theopen upper end 232. The measuring cup 200 has a pair of oppositelylocated, but identically sloped ramps 224 which are substantiallycontinuous around the side wall inside surface 220 from the ramp bottom225 toward the ramp top 226. That is, both ramps 224 rise symmetricallyalong the inside surface 220 of the side wall 216 from about the bottomedge of the side wall inside surface 220 generally opposite the spout214 to near the top edge of the side wall 216 adjacent to the base ofthe spout 214.

Because the open upper end 232 has a greater width than the width of thebase 218, upper surfaces 230 of the ramps 224 bear indicia 227a, 227awhich are not spaced in equal intervals for the same reasons indicatedabove for the cup 100. It will be understood by those skilled in the artthat the progressive change in the diameter of the measuring cup 200from the base 218 to the upper edge of the side wall 226 may also beaccommodated by decreasing the slope of the ramps 224 from the loweredge of the side wall 216 to the upper edge of the side wall 216 whilemaintaining the spacing between indicia 227a, 227a along the ramps 224.

The side wall 216 has a lower portion 216a below the ramps 224 which isoffset inwardly by the width of the ramp upper surfaces 230 from anupper portion 216b of the side wall 216. More specifically, the lowerportion 216a of the side wall 216, which is below the ramps 224, isintegral with the lateral inner edges 224a of the ramps, while the upperportion 216b, which is above the ramps, is integral with the lateralouter edges 224b of the ramps.

The periphery of the bottom wall 218 lies in a base plane P to provide astable support on an underlying support surface. The handle 212 isgenerally L-shaped, having a short arm 213 projecting laterallyoutwardly from the side wall 216 and integral at the outer end thereofwith an elongated depending grip portion 215 which extends substantiallyperpendicular to the base plane P and terminates at a generally flatdistal end 217 which lies substantially in the base plane P. Thus, whenthe measuring cup 200 is resting on its base or bottom wall 218, the end217 provides an additional support point. Furthermore, the dependingportion 215 of the handle 212 is covered with a grip sheath 219,preferably formed of a suitable flexible and cushioning elastomericmaterial, such as that sold under the trade name SANTOPRENE. Thisaffords a comfortable, non-slip, frictional grip surface to facilitategrasping of the handle 212.

While in the disclosed embodiments the ramps have fixed or constantslopes, it will be appreciated that the slopes could vary. Also, whileeach of the disclosed embodiments has two ramps, a single ramp couldsuffice. Preferably, the entire measuring cup is formed of a transparentmaterial, but, if desired, the ramps could be translucent to enhancecontrast with the vessel side walls.

While the illustrated embodiments are cups, it will be appreciated thatthe principles of the invention are applicable to other vessels, such asbowls, ladles, spoons and the like and, indeed, to any vessel-definingstructure, whether or not self-supporting and whether or not providedwith a handle or a spout, and of any size or shape.

The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanyingdrawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation.While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants'contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended tobe defined in the following claims when viewed in their properperspective based on the prior art.

1. A vessel comprising: a wall structure defining a cavity with an openupper end for receiving contents having a measurable volume, acontinuous ramp extending upwardly from adjacent to a lower end of thewall structure, and indicia positioned on the ramp so as to beobservable by a user looking downwardly toward the open upper end andproviding a readily observable indication of the volume of the contentsof the vessel.
 2. The vessel of claim 1 39, wherein the wall structureis self-supporting.
 3. The vessel of claim 1 39, wherein the wallstructure includes a bottom wall and an upstanding side wall.
 4. Thevessel of claim 3, wherein the side wall is substantially cylindrical inshape.
 5. The vessel of claim 3, wherein the side wall isnon-cylindrical in shape.
 6. The vessel of claim 3, wherein the bottomwall and the open upper end are of substantially the same size.
 7. Thevessel of claim 3, wherein the open upper end is larger than the bottomwall.
 8. The vessel of claim 1 39, wherein each of the bottom wall andthe open upper end is generally oval in shape.
 9. The vessel of claim 3,wherein the ramp extends from the bottom wall to the open upper end. 10.The vessel of claim 1 39, wherein the wall structure is formed of alight-transmitting material.
 11. The vessel of claim 10, wherein thewall structure is transparent and the ramp is translucent.
 12. Thevessel of claim 1 39, wherein the wall structure is of unitary one-piececonstruction.
 13. The vessel of claim 1 39, wherein the ramp is integralwith the wall structure.
 14. The vessel of claim 13, wherein the ramphas an upper surface facing the open upper end, the indicia beingdisposed on the upper surface.
 15. The vessel of claim 14, wherein theramp has laterally inner and outer edges, the wall structure including aportion above the ramp integral with the outer edge thereof and aportion below the ramp integral with the inner edge thereof.
 16. Thevessel of claim 1 39, wherein the ramp has a constant slope.
 17. Thevessel of claim 1 39, and further comprising a spout projectingoutwardly from the wall structure and having an exit end at the openupper end and an entry end.
 18. The vessel of claim 17, wherein the rampextends from a lower end of the wall structure to the entry end of thespout.
 19. The vessel of claim 17, wherein the ramp has an upper surfaceon which the indicia are disposed facing the open upper end, the spouthaving an inner surface continuous with the upper surface of the ramp.20. The vessel of claim 1 39, and further comprising a handle extendingoutwardly from the wall structure.
 21. The vessel of claim 20, andfurther comprising a spout on the wall structure opposite from thehandle.
 22. The vessel of claim 20, wherein the wall structure has alower end lying in a base plane, the handle having a distal end spacedfrom the wall structure and disposed in the base plane.
 23. The vesselof claim 22, wherein the handle includes an elongated portion extendingsubstantially perpendicular to the base plane.
 24. The measuring vesselof claim 20, and further comprising a grip sheath of elastomericmaterial disposed on the handle.
 25. A vessel comprising: a wallstructure defining a cavity with an open upper end for receivingcontents having a measurable volume, first and second continuous rampsextending upwardly from adjacent to a lower end of the wall structureand respectively adjacent to opposite sides of the wall structure, andfirst and second indicia respectively positioned on the first and secondramps so as to be observable by a user looking downwardly toward theopen upper end and providing readily observable indications of thevolume of the contents of the vessel.
 26. The vessel of claim 25,wherein the ramps are respectively disposed on opposite sides of thewall structure.
 27. The vessel of claim 26, wherein each of the ramps isintegral with the wall structure.
 28. The vessel of claim 27, whereineach of the ramps has an upper surface facing the open upper end, thefirst and second indicia being respectively disposed on the uppersurfaces of the ramps.
 29. The vessel of claim 28, wherein each ramp haslaterally inner and outer edges, the wall structure having a portionabove the ramps integral with the outer edges and a portion below theramps integral with the inner edges.
 30. The vessel of claim 25, whereinthe first indicia are different from the second indicia.
 31. The vesselof claim 30, wherein the first indicia make up a scale in English unitsof measurement and the second indicia make up a scale in metric units ofmeasurement.
 32. The vessel of claim 25, wherein the ramps are joined ata common upper end.
 33. The vessel of claim 32, and further comprising aspout projecting from the wall structure and having an exit end at theopen upper end and an entry end therebelow, the upper end of the rampsbeing disposed at the entry end of the spout.
 34. The vessel of claim33, wherein the wall structure includes a bottom wall and an upstandingside wall integral with the bottom wall.
 35. The vessel of claim 25,wherein the wall structure has a lower end lying in a base plane, andfurther comprising a handle projecting from the wall structure andhaving a distal end spaced from the wall structure and lying in the baseplane.
 36. The vessel of claim 35, and further comprising a grip sheathof elastomeric material disposed on the handle.
 37. A vessel comprising:a wall structure defining a cavity with an open upper end for receivingcontents having a measurable volume, the wall structure havingupstanding inner surface portions, a continuous ramp extending upwardlyfrom adjacent to a lower end of the wall structure and laterally fromthe inner surface portions, and indicia positioned on the ramp so as tobe observable by a user looking downwardly toward the open upper end andproviding a readily observable indication of the volume of the contentsof the vessel.
 38. A vessel comprising: a wall structure defining acavity with an open upper end for receiving contents having a measurablevolume, a continuous ramp extending upwardly from adjacent to a lowerend of the wall structure wherein the ramp has laterally inner and outeredges, the wall structure including a portion above the ramp integralwith the outer edge thereof and a portion below the ramp integral withthe inner edge thereof, and indicia positioned on the ramp so as to beobservable by a user looking downwardly toward the open upper end andproviding a readily observable indication of the volume of the contentsof the vessel.
 39. A vessel comprising: a wall structure defining acavity with an open upper end for receiving contents having a measurablevolume, a continuous ramp extending upwardly from adjacent to a lowerend of the wall structure, the cavity being wider above the ramp thanbelow the ramp, and indicia positioned on the ramp so as to beobservable by a user looking downwardly toward the open upper end andproviding a readily observable indication of the volume of the contentsof the vessel.